Harvest Moon Tales of ForgetMeNotValley
by ThymeDABERYULoire
Summary: 1st fantic! Read and review... Tell me what you think? Jill finds out that there are not only 1 criminal in Forget Me-Not-Valley, but 2! What will happen when Jill finds out the truth about Murrey, the unkept man who roams the valley? Stay tuned-Long Fic!
1. Chapter 1

"Finally...!" I puffed, resting my hands on my knees. "Aargh... I am SO not working in the fields on a day like this anymore! I'm going to ask the sprites' help from now on. Whether they like it or not!" I straightened, taking a sip of my fruit juice. I checked the time. It's still early, only 11am. Dr. Hardy has just strolled to the Harvest Goddess area. I waved at him. He grunted and looked away.

_Since it's still early, no harm taking a break._

I walked to bridge of the connecting Vesta's farm and sat under the safety of the tree's shadow, and took off my shoes and dipped them into the cool and refreshing water. " Ah... Much better..." I sighed in content. I started swinging my legs in the water. Then I heard a soft mewling behind me. I turned around to see my farm cat running towards me. _Puss? Why is she here?_

"Puss...! How many times must I tell you about running out of the farm?" I gasped. I picked up Puss and she wriggled and squirmed in my arms. "What? What's wrong?" Puss cannot stop wriggling in my arms. I frowned. Puss has hardly ever acted like this. Not even under any circumstances. Looked to the left and to the right. Then, I turned behind to see Murrey standing in front at Dr. Hardy's house. Just standing there, in the shade, not moving. I couldn't see him properly due to the glaring of the sun. I glanced at Puss, then at Murrey. Then back and forth again. Puss was just restless. Murrey started to stumble towards me. I got frightened. "Um... M-Murrey...?" He picked up speed-slowly but steadily. I quickly pick up my shoes and ran towards Vesta's farm. I was trying not to freak out in broad daylight. I turned behind, my one hand holding Puss and the other, my shoes. I felt my cheeks flare. It always happen when I'm nervous or really worried.

I kept turning my head back, not concentrating on the path that I was taking until I rammed into someone. Twin yelps of "Ouch!"was heard before I fell on the ground, releasing the items I had in my hand. "Ouch..." I rubbed my head. I could already feel a bump rising on my head. "Oww... "The other party moaned. I opened my eyes and saw Cecelia rubbing her head, her vegetable thrown all over the ground.

"Oh... Cecelia... I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to..." I apologized, giving Cecelia a hand and pulled her up.

"Thank you," brushing her pants, she continued,"It's okay. It's merely a bump... Not much damage done." I helped her collect her summer produce and put it in her crate. She picked up the rest of the scattered vegetables.

"There, all done." I announced. Cecelia was looking at me. _Why is she looking at me? _I thought.

She took a step closer and look at my face. "Are you okay? You're face is so red!"

"Um...Huh? It is? Erm... I guess it's due to the heat..." I mumbled,my attempt at a breezy tone failed miserably when I could find Puss.

"No! It isn't! Look at you! Your face is all flushed and..." She took her hand and pressed it on my forehead. Her hand felt cooling on my head. "Jill! You're reeaally hot. I'll take you inside. Come on now..." She persisted.

Now, one thing that I don't really like about Cecelia is that her too sisterly -no,_motherly_- manner. It's not that I really mind and stuff...But the problem is that I'm totally fine and she's making a fuss out of nothing. And moreover, Puss is nowhere to be found. I'm a rancher. It's my duty to take care of my animals.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The more I resisted, the more she persisted. I rolled my eyes.

"It's a natural reaction...," I tried to defend myself as Cecelia pulled me into her house. I'm really very annoyed with Cecelia right now. She's giving me one of her determined faces - there's really nothing, ABSOULTLY NOTHING, that possibly could block her from getting her goal.

"No! Listen!..." Cecelia groaned. "I'm doing this for your own good! I'm jus-"

"I can't! I can't go inside! Puss' missing and I think there's something wrong with her!" I screamed, wrestling my wrist out of her hand. Cecelia turned around and looked at me, wide-eyed.

"Murrey's scaring her. I think he did something to Puss. I saw... I saw Murrey..." The tears came, blurring my vision.

"It's.. okay... Come on. You'll be better once I give you something to drink." Cecelia was truly worried. I could hear it from her voice.

"Wh-what about Puss?" I whispered, my stomach turned tight about what would happen if I left Puss alone again. "What if... Murrey did something to scare her... Again?"

"Cummon... Puss has animal instinct. I'm sure she'll climb up to a tree to take refuge if she was scared." Cecelia has such comforting words. I wished I shared half of her calmness. "Tell me what happened. I can help you. Let's go inside before you have a heat stroke." She smiled. I flashed the tiniest smile back. But even before I could take another step, the ground before me began to move.

_What's happening? An earthquake? No... Aargh... My head... Ow... _I closed my eyes, hoping that the dizziness would go away. But when I opened them, the ground became unsteadier. The moment Cecelia tried to reach for me, I felt the world turning and soon, I felt my head hit on the floor and I knew that I've lost unconsciousness.

When I woke up, I could not recognize the place that I'm in. I sat up in bed and removed what seemed like a ice pack from my head and checked the time. _Holy cow! It's already 9pm! _I vaguely remembering ramming into Cecelia and telling her about Murrey. I stepped out of the bed too quickly and my head pounded. I swayed a little, but grabbed the bed frame for support. I shook my head and blinked, trying to clear my blurry vision. Just then, I heard Cecelia's voice from down stairs.

"She was really tired! She didn't wanna come in, but of course, being her friend, I brought her in and before she took another step, she...fainted from fatigue..." Her voice trailed off.

" I guess she'll be all right," the voice of Merlin rang out, " Let's grab a bite at the inner inn... We haven't eaten yet because somebody is SO concerned about unconscious Jill!"

"Merlin! Don't speak ill behind other's backs!" Vesta yelled. I could see her threatening to hit Merlin. "She's sick. Give her some space! Poor girl... She burned her head from working too much..." Vesta sighed.

" Let's go already!" Merlin pleaded, " I'm starving my guts out..."

"ALL RIGHT! Stop whining already! But only for today! I don't want to get fat from eating too much." Vesta grumbled. " I need to work out if I get fat."

"Pfft... Like you even tried to move..." Merlin said under his breath.

"What? What did you say?" Vesta yelled. " C'mere, you!"

Following after that, I could hear the sound of the locking and closing of doors and the laughter and giggling fading away into the darkness outside. Now, I'll have to make my way downstairs, fumbling through the darkness. I blinked in the darkness, and could make out shapes from the moonlight shinning from outside. Now, the headache and the pain in my eyes has faded away. In my mind, I only thought about Puss.

Even though I've only been in here about a few times, I could remember a little where was where. I mean, I know where they put items and stuff. Most importantly, I could remember where they placed the spare key- my key to finding Puss. So, it's either this, or climbing through the window.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hey! Thanks for the reviews that you all have written, and I know my English standards aren't really that high. -sighh- OH YEA! Btw, I know I have spelled some of the characters' name wrongly... T^T Many thanks to anagram inhaler for the suport and along with the thanks EggplantWitch for telling me the mistakes. * Super Junior -Sorry Sorry* " Sorry sorry sorry sorry, I didn't mean to write it wrongly. So please accept my 'sorry sorry' and write a review for me." THX. It helps a lot. :D **_

_**DISCLAMER: I own Harvest Moon. Not. If I did, I'll make Mayor Thomas even hairier than Murrey :)**_

"Damn it..." I cursed under my breath as another object tumbled and rolled off into the darkness. The key was nowhere to be found! The last time I remembered the key was placed in the cabinet above the stove. And now, it's gone.

_THINK, Jill, THINK! _I momentarily paused in my frantic turning of random items and let out moan sat on the floor. _Forget about it, forget about it... You'll NEVER get anything done right... And so what if you got out from this disaster? You'll never get to find Puss... It's an living object... It's impossible for her to say still. Adding on to the complication of Puss being chased by a maniac? _

I shook my head and grabbed tuffs of my hair and pulled at them. Then, something on the dinning table caught my eye. It was shiny and it seemed to reflect the moonlight that was streaming from the darkness outside. _Could it be..._ I scrambled from the place that I was sitting and rushed towards the table, carefully avoiding any objects that was blocking my way, I reached the dinning table and upon closer examination, the shinning material was really the key.

"YES!" I cried out into the darkness and rested the small key on my cheek, admiring the feel of metal against my flushed cheek. I could cry from relief at that moment but, there was more important things at hand. I wasted no time and I slid the key into the lock. A little 'click' echoed in the darkness and I twisted the metal doorknob. I chewed on my lower lip and stepped into the warm summer night. By now, it was already 9.45pm. _Okay,I've spent 45 minutes in celia's house and now... _I was rushing towards home. I had to find Bite and Will and put them under their safe roofs before any sort of **danger** would occur to them. Just thinking of the word 'danger' sends chills running down my spine.

Bite was asleep outside my house and Will was nodding off in a corner of the huge farm. I quickly scooped Bite up in my arms and gently pushed the wooden door open and left Bite on my soft bed. Bite whimpered in his sleep and his short tiny legs scrapped against the bedsheets and soon slipped back into his dream. I smiled a little at his 'oh-so-very-cute' actions and closed the doors shut behind me. I was racing against time. A glanced at my watch. 9.50. Alright, I still had time... I walked over to Will and patted his back. Will woke up with a start and he looked at me with bleary eyes which addressed its owner. I led him by the reign and he trotted rather eagerly into the horse barn. I stood outside to make sure Will is all settled before dimming the lights and whispering good night.

I turned and fled the farm, heading towards where the possible places that Puss might be. I have brought Puss into Lumina's magnificent mansion a few times as there was good food and company there. Once, I woke up to find the Puss was missing. I searched the whole valley only to find Puss at Lumina's, cuddling at the fireplace while I barged into the mansion, face all flushed and shoes all caked with mud. I smiled at the memory, my heart and mind filled with happiness. Then, the happiness was almost immediately replaced with wincing pain. My Puss... I hoped with all my might that the feline would be in Lumina's mansion, probably feeding on some high class fish that even _I_ haven't tasted in my life.

Realising that I was reaching the mansion at the end of the road, I picked up my pace and raced up the stairs, my little soul bubble was filled with hope for finding Puss there. Another glance at my watch... 10.10. I slowed down to catch my breath and glanced at the reflection in the fountain. The bright cresent moon has company today. A blanket of stars surrounded the moon in reflecting the loveliness of the summer night. Purplish clouds drifted aimlessly in the twilight sky, occasionally blocking out the moon. A breeze picked up speed, making the huge sakura branches shivering in delight. I was so engrossed in the beauty of nature before me that I didn't even hear the wide mansion's door creak open. Let alone hear somebody behind me, adoring the scenery too.

That person heaved a sigh, " Beautiful, isn't it?"

I stiffened and heard the person behind me trying not to laugh. Apparently, it was a guy.

"I don't mean any harm to a beautiful maiden like yourself," he commented. I turned around slowly, and I found myself staring at the mysterious stranger in the face. I was completely baffled by his features... I had to describe it as beautiful rather than handsome. The way that his long snow white hair framed his face along with a thin mouth and a sharp nose was... unbelievable. His silk like face held a pair of emerald eyes held mine so delicately... His outfit was a black shit under a leopard print shirt. He had a necklace hanging up in between his collarbone, a wristband and purple pants completed with a pair of polished shoes.

I stood there and stared at him. He noticed this and smirked, " Out for a walk, Princess? I know I'm beautiful, but there's no need to stare at me like that." I blushed and looked away, not knowing what to say to this beautiful stranger standing in front of me. Part of me wanted to know this stranger more, part of me wanted to ignore the pretty comments that he was aiming at me and go get Puss and get the hell of that place. But, the other 'part of me' won and I questioned, " Who are you?"

He sniggered, " Hehe," he closed the distance between us and he stood right before me, " I'm quite the ladies man and the prince of the stars."

I looked at him. _What an ego... But... He is really handsome up close... _I wanted to question him more when suddenly the mansion's door burst open and Lumina came emerging.

"Hey! Aren't you the thief that warns his victims a heads of time?" Lumina looked really annoyed.

_Thief? _I felt alarmed. No doubt about that. But the thief kept his cool and whispered, "Hehe. Sorry, beautiful... But I'm a little pressed for time... I'm about to jet out..." He began to walk off when he turned and called, " Call me Phantom Skye! I've got a feeling that we'll meet again-it's in the stars!" he gave alittle wave and laughed.

I raised my hand and gave waved back. _Skye? So that's his name... I'll see you around then, Skye..._ I haven't realised that I was grinning a little until Lumina stepped up and shouted, " Hey! Wait right there you thief!" At this point, Lumina was looking REAL pissed. It's almost like she was angry with him not talking to her, as if she expected something from him.

"Hehe... Hold up, beautiful!" He waved a strand of hair from his face, " Don't let such raw anger steal away your beauty..." Lumina was blushing all around. She cupped her cheeks.

"What a _smooth _talker... Phantom Skye..." Her blush deepened and she followed Skye into the bend around the corner. I stood there, pretty much dumbfounded by what had just happened. Until Lumina walked back. More like, _flew _back. "Phantom Skye! He... he got away from me!" Trance-like state.

"Urm... Lumina? Hello? Earth to Lumina?" I waved my hand in front of her face. It took her quite awhile to reply.

"Y..Yes?" Lumina replied.

"Have you seen Puss around here?" I tried my best to make it sound urgent, but Lumina was in her own dream land. Muttering, " Skye... skyee" I narrowed my eyes and said, " Oh, well... It's getting late, you go get some rest, okay?"

"Oh... yes... Yes, indeed! I hope I can dream about my... darling..." Lumina muttered under her breath, heading back to her mansion. She seemed oblivious to the fact that I was standing in front of her the whole time.

_Well... time to get some sleep... I'll have to ask Lumina about this tomorrow, I guess... _I yawned. _I hope I can dream about Phantom Skye... WAIT! _I shook myself out of my trance. _I'm turning into that same kind of love sick __Lumina...! _I pushed this incident to the back of my head and headed for home. While under the warm covers of my house, I can't help but wished that Puss was doing fine... I sniffed and a tear slid from my cheek and landed softly on my pillow...

_**So? What did you all think about this extended story? Boring! Not bad! Too laggy? **_

_**Gimme a review!:D**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**This will be a chapter about Puss' POV. So, I hope I won't confuse you all. :) review review... and I have this! HA! **_

_**Super Junior-Sorry Sorry(Doggie Pillowcase's version!)**_

_**Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry, I didn't mean to write it wrongly. So please accept my "Sorry Sorry" and Please Write A review for me. Thx! XD Copyright, Doggie Pillow. **_

_**No offense to Super Junior's Fans. **_

_**Disclaimer: *I really own Harvest Moon. **_

_***if you believe in this, you're the stupid idiot. Ha! :) Jk. On with the story...**_

_I flew through the air and landed on my feet. My owner was lying on the floor and she looked a little hurt, and pretty scared. But the fear in my heart flutters even faster, even more powerful than hers. I picked myself up and ran, hoping my black pelt would be of help to me if I blended into the shadows. The man in black clothes and the stinky feet was chasing me. I can't afford to stop. If I did, I don't know if I'll get to see tomorrow's light. Or go to the big house with fish or to stop and play with the little foxes and monkeys hanging around the place I was living. I sped past the big swirling blades that threatened to crush me and quickly rushed on._

_I swerved at a corner and dived into the smallest crevice on the highest wall I could find and squeezed myself in it. My heart pounded against my ribcage and I felt so insecure. Even in this tiny hole that could just fit in. I feel like this little hole would suddenly grow bigger and then smelly feet would come grabbing me like how I saw him doing it to other, smaller animals. I shivered. Bad memories I don't want to remember came rushing back all in an instant._

XOXOX

_**1st Summer: 14 days before I ran away.**_

_I was idly lying around and I've decided to pay Rack and Lynxie a visit. Lynxie was my best friend- as her name suggests, she's a Lynx- and both of us used to roam through the valley when we were kits, even before my owner came and adopted me as her own. Anyway, I was making my way towards the waterfall, where Lynxie and I always meet. Rack was a raccoon whom we hung out on a weekly basis. _

_I saw Lynxie there and I ran the remaining distance but as I approached her, I saw that her sharp pointed ears were flattened and her normally enthusiastic ember eyes were flecked with traces of worry. I cocked my head, wondering what's wrong with her._

"Lynxie,"_ I said to her softly, standing in front of her. She didn't seem to notice me there. _" Lynxie!" _I tried again. She didn't respond. _"What's wrong, Lynxie? You can tell me. You know that! Lynxie... Come on... Hey... Mind telling me what happened?"

_She softly rested her gaze at me, ember meeting emerald. She sighed before looking away again. _" It's nothing... Probably just tired."

"Seriously...? I can't trust you when it comes to stuff like this," _I mocked, trying to make her feel a little better. _

_She scoffed, _"Yeah, right." _Finally, Lynxie is feeling a little like Lynxie again._

_I let out a mrrow of laughter. _"Oh, yeah. Where's Rack?" _I looked around, trying to spot him among the wild grass and the trees that surrounded the area. _

"Late. Again," _she sighed. _"Come, let's go. He'll know where to find us." S_he trotted and then __broke into a run. _"Race you there!" _Her laughter rolled out in loud barks and left in a cloud of dust. _

"Hey! that's not fair!" _I called out after her,laughing_, "You're cheating!" _Little did I realize that there was a person standing at the other side of the bank, at the Sky Oak staring at us. _

XOXOX

_I woke up to find that I was still in the crevice. By now, it was night time. The moon shined through the small entrance of the hole. I felt so suffocated. My limbs are numb from being in the same position since afternoon, after smelly feet chased after me. I strained my ears to hear the activity that was going on outside- I never and didn't let my guard down. I couldn't risk it. Not if any of my friend's life depended on it. **But it's so... **I moved around uneasily in the small hole, trying to find some space in the safe "haven". **Uncomfortable. **I shifted my weight I didn't realize that I was moving back wards until the solid ground that was supporting my legs suddenly headed upwards. I frowned, unable to understand the feeling. **The gap actually HEADS upwards? **I attempted to try turning around the space in the hole. Surprisingly, I was able to do this with out scratching by nose against the uneven walls or pulling any of my fur out. I felt cold, now my tail was dangling outside the small crevice. _

_I could now see clearly that the crevice indeed was heading upwards. I sniffed that stale air. **Yes. Definitely upwards. **I swished my tail, in an attempt to help with my movement of crawling forwards. I was progressing finely. Not until I felt a something warm against my tail. I froze. _

"There you are, kitty..," the hoarse voice rang out, " I've been looking for you everywhere..."

_A horrible stench filled my small haven. I knew what was outside. My eyes grew wide. My shackles rose and I scrambled forwards, clawing desperately at the rough floor, trying to pull myself forward despite the force that was pulling me out. I was trying my best to get away from the source of my terror, my sadness. I cried out piteously, _"Someone! Anyone! Help me!"

The mad man outside laughed, " Yes! Cry! Beg me for help! Beg me to stop!" He fastened the hold of the cat's tail. " You have a very long tail, my kitty... Mind giving me some?" He took out the knife that he was holding in the other hand and held it high. The blood stained knife gleamed murderously in the moonlight. He held it higher and aimed on his prey.

_I felt smelly man fasten his grip on my tail, mumbling some language of the Takers. **Mouse dung!** Iknew resisting was of no use- it will only make the matter worst.** But what can I do? Everything I** **did now was by instinct. Instinct told me to run from this smelly man before... **I felt searing pain cut through my tail. It resonated through my whole body, leaving me frightened and in total shock. I sucked in a breath and screeched at the top of my lungs. The grip of the smelly man loosened, but in exchange of the searing pain. I sped away at top speed. Tears formed at the corner of my eyes, but I blinked them back. Ignoring the fact that my belly was being scratched by the rough sandy ground, and the fact that my fur was ripping out due to me fluffing to twice my size because of the shock and the pain, I headed up towards my only exit, up. _

The mad man stood outside. In one hand, was the tail. In another, was the knife gleaming and dripping with wet blood. Murrey told staring at the handiwork. He sniggered. Then he chuckled. His chuckles madly increased in volume and turned into guffaws. He felt invincible. He was invincible. After all, he was a pedophile at heart. _I should do this sometime. _He thought, and sat on the grass. _The space in the hole is limited. That cat's gonna come out sooner or later, whether she liked it or not. _

Little did he know, the agile and bleeding cat had headed upwards and now, was running across the valley, away from that horrid place.

_**SO? How did you like it? I love this chapter so much... because I got to write in the POV of a cat... :) Mega fan of Warrior Cats, the novel by Erin Hunter! :D Poor Puss... her tail got cut off by Murrey. Okay, so now, Murrey's identity has been revealed! Maybe you know it, maybe not... so anyway! I call humans "Takers" in this story because (NO OFFENSE) we take from nature and the animals know about our acts, and therefore call us Takers. Science Freak here! Get lost before I blow you with my inventions! **_

_**GIMME A REVIEW. OR ELSE... I'LL BLAST YOU OFF INTO FORGET ME NOT VALLEY AND MAKE MURREY YOUR NEMESIS. _ Just kidding, as usual. ( Wow. Loads of crap in this chapter.) **_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hey hey, wassup? How's life? So yeah, I had exams awhile back, and I finished them today! SEE? I'm such a good person. I spent my valuable time to write a chapter for you guys! Gimme review! -bhb-**_

_**P.s. (To people out there that has pointed out my naming mistakes) LibreOffice changed them into Cecelia and Merlin. I suddenly remembered. So, it's my fault that I didn't check too. So, sorry!**_

_**P.p.s If you guys wanna get good scores for your English exams, I'm telling you this. STUDY HARDCORE BY READING THE DICTIONARY. It really helps. Although it's waste of time. PFFT.**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own HM. If I did, I'll make a pack with Square Enix and making Cloud Strife do some farming. IMAGINE THAT. Cloud Strife! Pitch fork! My god! _ Okay, on with the story. **_

The little rays of dawn filtered through my window. I stretched and stifled a yawn. I craned my neck to look at the clock that hung from the opposite wall and the time that it showed was a quarter to7. I changed m_y _into my work clothes and grabbed something from my bag to fill my protesting tummy. _What a pathetic life I lead.._Staring at the few pieces of bamboo shoots I collected in Spring and some of the Summer produce I harvested a few days ago._ Ah, well... Better than nothing... _I took out a corn and clamped my teeth around it, feeling the sweet taste of corn filling my mouth. I found Bite sleeping in a corner under my bed and I reached deep inside and pulled him out.

"Bite..," I whispered into his ear. He sniffed and scratched his ear and rolled over. _Wow. A new trick __learnt__ while asleep? Now, that's something._I tickled him and in an instant, he woke up and rushed outside through the doggy flap I made for him. I laughed. I stood up,dimmed the lights of my house and stepped outside. The summer wind greeted me and I rushed over to Will's stable. I petted him, picked his hooves and led him outside the stable. I went around chopping branches and watering the damned crops-it's lots of hard work you know?- and rode Will outside, heading towards Lumina's, hoping she could give me more information about my cat.

I headed up the seemingly never ending stairs to Lumina's and spotted her with her grandmother relaxing and conversing under the hanging Sakura trees. I moved closer to the gates and caught drifts of their conversation. Loads of " Skye", "thievery" and "romance" came from the brunette and shakes of the head came from the older woman. The conversation was heating up gradually. I backed a few steps and then rode in Will again, pretending to be just arriving. I smiled at Lumina. She didn't smile back.

"What do you want?" She asked in a huff. I unmounted Will and stood before her. I greeted Romana with a smile and she nodded back in response. I turned back to raging Lumina.

"Er...I was wondering if you -"I started but was rudely cut off by Lumina.

"If you are here to talk about yesterday night, I have nothing to talk nor say to you," she looked away, trying to look nonchalant. Fury boiled inside me. Couldn't she just hear me out?

"I'm not here to talk about yesterday,"I looked away, folding my arms.

"Oh? You're not?" Her attitude changed and her face instantly turned into a bright sunny day. _What a two faced go_at. " Then why are you here?"

"I'm here to ask if you had seen Puss around since she was here on certain occasions."

"Puss? I'm afraid not... Why? Has Puss gone missing?" Her face ceased with frowns and I could literally see the question marks bouncing on top of her head. I cringed and nodded.

"Yeah, well... She's missing yesterday. She was really frightened about something. Though what, I'm not sure." I kicked the stone marbles and rubbed my arms.

"Yesterday...? Then why didn't you come ask me yesterday?" She was staring at me like I'M the dim-witted one. Please! I'm nothing like her lover, Rock- that dirty Blonde that goes around thinking that he's the magnificent one.

"Maybe because I lost consciousness and woke up in the night to come all the way here to find that some sliver haired guy charmed you with his sweet talk?" I asked 'innocently'. She glared at me though I was surprised that she could get this angry.

"Well, sorry. I didn't see your cat," she folded her arms defensively and continued, "if I do, I'll let you know. Now, will you excuse me, I have something on so I'll take my leave now. See you around." With that, she went back to the mansion. Romana looked at me in a apologetic manner and she excused herself.

What's with the attitude change?

Feeling dejected, I left the place and headed for the Sprite Tree. I rode on Will and trotted all the way there. I unsaddled Will and sat beneath the huge Oak tree that contained the little Sprites. I stared into the big blue sky. The drifting clouds with their destination unknown... and thought of Puss, my family and the memories. I felt my eyelids drooping. I let out a deep sigh and feel into a deep slumber.

XOXOX

I woke up and it was nearly.. 10. Well. It seems that I slept the whole day away. I stretched and yawned. I reopened my eyes to see a greasy looking man with a bird nest for his hair staring back at me. I broke off in mid yawn. I screamed and cowered.

"Hey! What do you think you are doing?" An alto voice rang out. I peaked out under my shoulder and found out that it was actually Skye. You'll never know how relived I was at that moment. He was wearing the same outfit as yesterday, just that it was green. Same wristband and necklace.

Murrey lifted his head and stared at Skye. Murrey narrowed his eyes before stepping into the shadows of the Sprite Tree.

Skye rushed over to me and helped me up. He looked in the direction where Murrey disappeared off to. 

"Skye..," I said. He snapped his attention back to me.

"Fair maiden! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" He twirled me around to check for bruises.

"I'm perfectly fine," I pulled my arm out of his grasp, "and call me Jill, please."

"Jill? All right. Jill," Skye looked at me seriously and whispered, " it's not safe here. Let's go somewhere else."

I cocked my head at him.

"Jill, please don't do that," Skye laughed, " my heart will melt from the amount of adorableness you're showing me."

My checks flushed red. _Damn flirt. _

"I see you have a mode of transport," Skye commented on Will, who was nodding off at a corner. " I think you want it to rest for the day, am I right?"

I rolled my eyes. "Obviously!"

"All right, I'll help you send it home," then he came closer bent down to my height and whispered. "Go to the half constructed area. The one outside just opposite the farm. I'll meet you there. Hurry!" He stood up and lead Will to the exit of the Harvest Goddess pond. I stood there staring after him. He turned back and mouthed 'hurry' before disappearing around the bend.

I took out my transport necklace and put it on. _Nina's house. Take me to Nina's house. _In a flash I was standing outside the house of Nina and Galen. I walked to where the half constructed work and sat there, back against the fence.

Around 5 minutes later, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned to see Skye running towards me.

"What's with the whispering just now?" I asked when Skye got nearer. He flopped down beside me, panting hard.

"Huh? Oh. Just now? Didn't feel safe with that creepy guy around."

I nodded. I knew exactly how he felt. I decided to change the subject. " So... what are you doing out at this point of time?"

"Shouldn't I be me who's asking you that, fair Jill? He looked at me incredulously."Do you prefer the company of the night rather than the day?"

Rolled my eyes at the " fair Jill" part. "Yeah... I mean..." I looked at him. He arched his eye brows. "Sometimes, I guess..."

"It's comforting, is it not, fair maiden?"

I nodded. _Yeah yeah. _I hugged my knees and rested my chin on them. I felt Skye looking at me.

"You seem distracted. What's wrong? You can tell me," Skye bent down to look at me, trying to make eye contact. I looked at him. He seemed encouraging. I sighed.

"I suspect... I KNOW that Murrey is doing something funny to the animals around here," I explained,averted his eyes. "I have no evidence or whatsoever that he's the one behind the mess and commotion that's happening around this area. Mainly animals, but I'm not sure if people are involved. Not that anyone paid any attention to them, anyway."

Frowns creased his forehead. "Oh,is that so? That's a rather big... complication..." Skye murmured.

_AH! Maybe..._ _maybe... Skye can help me with the problem? _I smiled at this thought and looked at him hopefully.

I think he felt me looking at him and he snapped out of his temporary trance. He looked at me and blinked twice. Then he placed his hands behind his head and said casually, "Ah, I guess it can't be helped, huh? Heh heh."

"Eh...? Can't you even think of one way of helping?" This guy is completely an idiot.

"... Yeah."

I shook him by the shoulders. "Not even ONE?"

He smirked and replied, " What do you think, my fair maiden? My wits are for complimenting your beauty, not for solving crimes. If you want to solve crimes, be your own Nancy Drew." He got up and dusted his pants. " Well, it's getting late, I think I'd go home to get some beauty sleep... and you," he said, pointing at me." Stop getting extra wrinkles because of this problem. Never go against Fate." With that, he left the area, giving me a wave before turning into the corner.

_Talk about Baka. There's one right in front of me who claims himself to be a Oji. What a despicable Bakageta Oji. _I couldn't help but screaming out my frustrations.

_**Eh...heh heh... Er... yeah.. This is all for this chapter... Eh, what else... oh yeah I included a little Japanese in this chapter... **_

_**Baka- Idiot. Oji- Prince. Bakageta Oji- Idiotic Prince. **_

_**If you guys like to collect the Harvest Sprite cards or something in the game, there's a card named "Oji" (Ouji or sth like that.) and there's a picture of Skye on it. So, yeah. I have SO much plots for this story... I don't know which one to choose... Aargh! I must preserve... -confidence- THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS YOU GUYS GAVE ME. :) :) I just received another one. :):) -Absolute happiness- Oh yeah, BTW, try checking out Absolute Boyfriend. It's manga and there's a show made based on this manga. And apparently, my favourite character in the series DOES NOT LOOK LIKE THE ONE IN MANGA. HMPH. **_

_**Lol. Loads of crap in this chapter. ZzzZzz gotta rest my brains, GIMME A REVIEW. If not no "Yo Mama" jokes for you! **_

_**This chapter's Yo Mama.**_

_**Yo Mama's so fat that she doesn't need the internet. Becoz' she's WORLD WIDE. **_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hey! Sup sup! This is Puss' POV, so I think you all would get it by now. I guess... Puss is the one who's connecting all the points and links together. T^T I think I'm out of point by now, but ANYHOOS... **_

_**I think I will have a panel here for thanking the reviewers. :) Wanna be featured? Review. :)**_

_**InvaderCakez- I wanna thank you for reading my crappy chapters. :) SHARE THE YO' MAMAS.**_

_**Princess Blaziken, FlamingIceWolfGirl,anagram inhaler and last but not least... EggplantWitch! :D EggplantWitch's the first one to review. So respects to her! **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own HM. Although I would really love to. :( **_

_**WARNING: This is going to be a DAMN long chapter. :0 Summarizing skills... I lack it.**_

_I breathed hard, dodging under the thick undergrowth that grew on the top of the ledge, trying not to let smelly feet below hear me. My belly and nose was scratched from the rough floor in the little crevice. I was creeping unsteadily under the plants due to my numb legs. Everything hurt. Physically and emotionally. My feelings, my body, my memories. My memories..._

_**9th Summer: 5 days before I ran away. **_

_I turned around inside my small basket. I just couldn't sleep. I willed for sleep to come to me but it wouldn't. My eyelids were drooping, my vision was blurred, but I just couldn't, couldn't sleep. I sighed and heaved my sore legs of my bed and I almost stumbled but regained balance. I squinted in the dark and could see my owner, with Bite, under the blue stuffy thing. Bite told me that it was comfortable. I tried it before when owner wasn't in. I almost suffocated. **I guess I have to go find some night activity. **I padded towards the small transparent material at the bottom of the door. I looked back one last time before going out under the small door and stole a glance around the farm. Left to right and back again. No movements. I moved under the shadows and headed towards the Sky Oak, the one which has the big tree plus a small pond. **Maybe I can get a few fishes. Even if I don't, I think trying to catch fishes will tire me out. ** _

_I padded towards the Sky Oak, paying attention to my surroundings. Night time at the valley is rather creepy. There's shadows all around and if you're sleepy, you might hallucinate and drop into one of the ponds or the Never-ending stream, which when you get in, you might ever get out. It's fed by the waterfall, you see. Waterfall currents are faster then the rest of the water currents. How do I know? Because owner dropped a ball into the river while training Bite how to fetch. Luckily, that dog still have some brains to not chase after the ball. If not, I would lose another great friend that I can hang out with. But after the ball went in, it never reappeared again. So, I learned my lesson from Bite that dogs are smart and the streams are dangerous. Especially those which are connected to waterfalls.(Dogs understand Takers better.) _

_But before I turned around the corner which leads to the Sky Oak, I spotted activity under the tree. It doesn't look like an animal. I sniffed the air and immediately regretted. A horrible stench filled my nostrils and I wrinkled my nose in disgust. **Definitely a Male Taker. **Deciding against the thought to go nearer, I just stood there where I was hiding, watching intensely on what the Taker was doing. The Taker seemed to be looking for something, because he was staring and not moving at all. I cocked my head. **What is he doing...?** But my question was immediately replied when he reached out in a flash and caught something in his hands. The item in his hands squealed and struggled. I recognizedit and to my horror, it seemed to be a squirrel's._

_I felt my eyes widen in shock, my lower jaw slack. Instinct told me to run. But curiosity filled me and I stood watching as the Taker place the little squirrel on the ground. I looked on in horror as I saw him picking up a nearby object, which happened to be a rock, and holding it high. I think the Taker wants to kill it. The squirrel seemed to register its fate. But nevertheless, the creature wanted to fight on till the last breath. The Taker gathered up his energy and slammed the rock into the squirrel. Blood gushed out, something flew out from its body and it screeched. A piteous and high pitched scream. I never heard something as painful as that. All creatures and hunters alike, respected each other and we believed that death to one's prey must be as short lived as possible, to avoid the same circumstances happening back to oneself. What goes round, comes back round. _

_Then, the male Taker took up the still struggling squirrel and tore it's limbs apart. On his face was a crazy look. The Taker looked happy. He has the look of my owner if I had done something to make her pleased. Bite told me it's called a 'smile'. Takers 'smile' when they are happy does killing animals make this Taker happy? I couldn't believe it. The describe this act of this Taker was crazy. Absolutely crazy. He tore the limbs apart and watched with the bloodshot eyes as the poor squirrel desperately clawed the ground with the remnants of its paws. Its attempts grew weaker and more feeble. Finally, the tortured squirrel stopped moving and choked out its last breath. At that point I couldn't take it any more. I fled the area as swiftly as possible. It was terrible. I couldn't explain this feeling this to anyone. _

_This is a serious thing, all by itself. I can't let other animals suffer the same fate. If it things make a downturn to that situation, I don't know what will happen. To everyone. To animals. To Lynxie. To Lynxie...! **Lynxie! Oh dear... Lynxie... I have to find out if she's all right. I... have to... **I swerved towards the direction of Lynxie's house when suddenly a sensible part of me screamed, **No... no no no no! I can't die BRUTALLY in the hands of that Taker! **I screeched to a halt. The sensible part of me was right. I can't risk my own life and Lynxie's. What if that smelly Taker followed me there? Then, Lynxie would also risk her life! Because of me! I quickly ran the remaining distance to my house and squeezed through the small opening. I quickly closed the wooden door that my owner used to cover the transparent material, just in case like today, I ran outside. I sprang into the safety of my owner's bed and crawled under the blue suffocating thing. My owner woke up and mumbled something, hugging me close. I felt safe with both Bite and my owner right beside me. _

_I felt into a deep slumber. _

_ XoxoX_

_**Summer 14th: 1 day before I ran away.**_

_I haven't been able to find Lynxie around after the accident at the Sky Oak. I avoided the area as much as possible. It was down right creepy and whenever I caught a whiff of the stench, I would run as the opposite direction from where the source of the smell was. If it was up ahead, I will run back up the way I was coming from. I was going crazy. I was jumping at every single thing I hear. I was so cautious that I even memorised the smelly Taker's routine everyday. Even Bite who normally is always joking around took this seriously. Even more seriously than his job of chasing wild dogs away. When I first told him about this incident, he called me crazy and ran off in a huff. I told Will. Will was the most serious animal in this farm. Will believed me because he was a runaway horse. He said that he has seen a lot of different type of people and fear made him stronger through the years, and now that he is wiser than any of us. _

"Trust your judgement. You can never be wrong," _Will told me. _" An instinct like yours is the most powerful weapon you have against terrible Takers like him. Do not let curiosity overwhelm you. If you do, then chances of you surviving is little. You have to follow your instinct. Follow your heart."

_I looked up to Will as a mentor in life. He has suffered so much through his young days and now he retired from the wilful horse he used to be and he now works in our farm. Both Will and I talked a lot about this case to Bite and in the end, he believed that my story was true. Nobody can reject the solemness Will showed. We, animals, don't stand much of a place when it comes to things like this. Takers and Animals have been living together side by side for so long now. Both kinds are important, they depend on one another. But now, with things getting more out of hand... We don't know what to do. _

_I told Will and Bite about Lynxie and how she can help solve the problem. _"How?" _ Both of them had asked me then. I told them I don't know. But we can think of an idea together. So all of us set off in search of Lynxie that afternoon. We came out of the farm that day, me sitting on Will's seat and Bite trotting beside Will. Our owner saw us and she looked shocked. Will explained to her that we are going out for something important. I guess she understood because she petted all of us on the head and said something in the Taker's language. Bite translated with pride that she was telling us to be careful. I rolled my eyes and Will proceeded to the waterfall area where I usually meet Lynxie. She was there, lying on the grass, idly swiping at a grass when she saw us approach. I know smelly Taker wasn't at Sky Oak. He was at the big house until the sun sets. She looked surprised. _

_She padded over to us. I jumped down from Will and rushed over to Lynxie. Lynxie greeted me with a bark. _

"Hi, Puss!" _She greeted me. Then to Will and Bite_, " Hello, I how may I help you?"

"Hello, Lynxie. I'm Will and this is Bite," _Will introduced themselves to Lynxie. Lynxie returned with a bow of her head._ _Will continued, " _I was hoping that you can help us solve the problem that Puss here faced a while ago. Can you help her?"

"I'll have to see what the problem is..." _Came her response. Lynxie was looking very grave. _

"Well..." _Will looked at Bite and then at me. Bite nodded, encouraging. Lynxie looked at me. _"What's wrong?"

_I heaved a sigh and told her the story about the male Taker, making it as short as possible but not missing out the most important details. I don't want to remember the horror of it. As I explained, I saw Lynxie's eyes getting wider. When I finished, Lynxie 's eyes were so big that I was afraid of them popping out from their sockets. Her teeth were bared, and her claws unsheathed. **Does... Lynxie know about smelly Taker?**_

" I believe that you all are referring to the smelly feet that is always there at the Sky Oak..." _Lynxie said, not looking at any of us._

_I turned to face Bite and Will. Both of them were staring at Lynxie with a shocked expression. Bite questioned her, _"Smelly feet...? You mean the smelly Taker?"

"What's the difference? Aren't they the same person? Don't they both kill animals too?" _Lynxie replied heatedly. _"The only difference is how differently we called the Taker."

_I chewed on my lower lip. Lynxie DOES know about smelly Taker. _"Lynxie," _I began. She turned her head around to face me._ " Lynxie... What have you seen smelly feet doing?" _Bite heard that I changed the named the Taker and was about to protest when I silenced him with a glare._

" I... He... Smelly feet... I saw smelly feet... Do you remember Rack?" _She asked. I nodded. Rack was the raccoon that we hung out on a weekly basis. __**My, could smelly feet killed Rack...?**_

"Remember that day when you ran out of your farm and came looking for me? That day when I was looking downcast and you asked what happened? The particular day before you came looking for me, I saw smelly feet chasing Rack. It...it was completely an accident! I didn't see Rack and he told me that something was bothering him and he asked if I had the time to come out and talk to him about the matter. I agreed and arranged to meet him outside the big house, opposite where I was living.

"I remembered that I just padded out of my house when I smelt a horrible smell. It smelt exactly like maggots in decaying flesh. It smelt so grotesque so much so that I felt like gagging. I would have ran back inside my tunnel but I saw Rack sitting outside the fence, shuddering and growling like he had just dropped inside the water fountain beside the big house. I padded towards him despite the horrible smell that seemed to be emitting around the area that Rack was in. I was about to call out to him when I saw a Taker with a shiny stick in his hands. I felt alarmed. Takers left us alone, but this Taker was after Rack. I called for Rack in soft yet urgent barks, beckoning him to run under the metal fence where he could be safe. Takers are to big and fat to fit in the small gaps in the gates. I thought he heard me, because he turned and looked for me. I called louder and this time, I was sure that he heard me. 'Under the fence!' I shouted, but the Taker was fast. He charged at Rack and the brought the shiny stick down on him. Fortunately, the Taker missed Rack body, but it landed on Rack's hind legs and his fur was ripped off when he tried to crawl under the fence.

" I told Rack to run back to my tunnel- it was safer in there. He nodded and wobbled back to my tunnel. I sat there in the shadows to see if the Taker could get past the fence and go after us, but he didn't. Instead, he picked Rack's fur up and placed it in his clothes. As for the shiny stick, which was wet with Rack's blood and fur, the Taker licked the stick and he seemed happy and did the face when Takers are happy. He left the area after that."

_By the time that Lynxie finished her story, it was nearly sundown. I couldn't believe my ears. Rack is injured. Smelly feet is around, killing animals. Everyone in this valley is in danger. I just cannot believe it. From the looks of Will's and Bite faces, I can see that have registered that fact._

" Then... why didn't you let me know that he's sick?" _I asked Lynxie, the same time when Bite asked_, " Where's Rack?"

"I didn't want to scare you," _she said to me. Then to Bite_," He's recuperating at my house. The reason you can't see me often nowadays is because I'm busy nursing Rack back to health."

"Can we visit Rack?" _Will questioned. _

"Yes, of course. You guys are his friends, yes? If so, your visit will make him elated."

"Excellent. Hop on, I'll give you a ride." _Will offered. With that, Lynxie, Bite, Will and I set off towards the big house. On the way there, Will asked how can he get in. Lynxie told him that he could if he entered by the side of the front fence. There's a gap and that he could run along and then we will meet him at the corner. Will nodded and galloped up the pavement._

"Over there,"_ Lynxie pointed the direction with her ears._ "We get off here and go under this fence. Will, you can enter from the front fence which is... there." _She gave the direction to Will and we were about to get off when I suddenly remembered. Smelly feet was here. And he was about to come out soon. _

"No...!" _I took the position of the sun. Smelly feet is going to come out around this time! _"Will!Get us out of here! Don't get off! Bite!"

_Bite was already on the ground. He looked at me, startled and asked_, "What for?"

"You idiot! Smelly feet is going to-"_ I hissed, but was cut off by the bang opening of the doors of the house. All of us turned to the direction of the house and hit us. The smell of rotting flesh. All of us froze in the position we are right now. _

_Smelly feet emerged form the darkness of the house and stopped at the entrance. He squinted against the sun and spotted us. I knew that I was frightened. I knew that my faced betrayed what I __was feeling. My heart was beating a thousand times faster. My claws were unsheathed and my claws dug into Will's seat, but I resisted the urge to run back to the farm and find my owner. Bite was on the ground staring at smelly feet. I could see that though he was shuddering, but he wanted to be brave. He held his head high. Lynxie was a different story. She was angry and she showed it. Her ears were flattened against her skull and her teeth were bared, snarling. Will just stood there, staring at smelly feet. His face showing nothing but a bored expression. Time that passed seemed like an eternity. He didn't leave- we didn't move. Smelly feet staggered towards us and he made sneezing sound. It sounded like, "Humph". But I know better. It's the sound of his laughter. I heard it when he was killing the squirrel. __**Owner...! Come save us...! **_

_When I thought I was going to pass out because of what was happening, someone with brown looking hair came running towards the house. I looked at her and she stared at us. She turned around to smelly feet and she walked towards him. Smelly feet walked away after talking to her. I felt so relieved. The female walked back inside the house and closed the doors. I let out the sigh I was holding for so long out and sheathed my claws. The faces on Bite and Lynxie were finally beginning to relax . Lynxie jumped down from the seat and padded to the fence. _

"We have no time to lose. Hurry!" She ordered._ Bite rushed under the fence and I followed after. Will trotted to the side and he carefully ran through the gap. I squeezed under the fence and Lynxie followed shortly after. We waited for Will to come over and we followed after Lynxie into the deep forest. _

"Keep quiet, and follow quickly,"_ Lynxie's voice came from the front. I tagged after Bite and following behind me was Will. I could smell leaves and wild flowers all around and the echoes of the wind brushing through the trees. Little light shone through the forest and it seemed like it was dark all ready. Then, I picked up the coppery smell of blood. I concentrated on the smell and sure enough, it lead into a small clearing with a hole in one of the flower bushes. The smell of the blood seemed to be stronger when we reached the tunnel. "_Hang on, I'll go see if Rack can come out to meet all of you."_ I nodded and surveyed the area. Trees grew thickly and the forest was dense. Will settled down on the ground and Bite went to 'investigate' the area._

_A few moments later, a terribly looking Rack came out and greeted us. He was looking out of odds and groggy. His wound was healing, the scabs where covering most of the wounds. Pulpy material was surrounding his leg. _

"Rack!" _I greeted him. _" Good to see you! How are you feeling?"

" Hi, Puss. Thanks for coming, I'm feeling better already," _he laughed. Then he squinted in the_ _darkness and saw Will and Bite._ " Well well! I see you have brought some friends along! I'm Rack, nice to meet you. You two are...?"

_Will bowed his head and introduced himself_, " Hello, Rack. I'm Will and... Where's... "

_Bite popped his head out behind a bush with his fur in a mess barked_,"...Bite! Nice to meet you too!"_ Everyone looked at him, amused._

" A enthusiastic one, eh?" _Rack laughed. Lynxie smiled. We finally felt at ease._

" Rack, I told them about your leg," _Lynxie said. Rack raised his eyebrows. He limbed forward and sat on his 3 good legs, but his right hind leg sticking out. _

"Oh, you did?" _Rack shrugged._ " Well, that Taker has some guts to make me injured. But I'm still going to steal food from the them." _He smiled sheepishly._

"Haven't you learnt your lessons yet?" _Lynxie asked incredulously. _

"Nope!"

" You almost killed yourself back there."

"So, anyway!" _Rack said, changing the subject._ _Lynxie rolled her eyes and sat down on the grass._ " You guys better stay away from the Taker. He's dangerous stuff. Don't meddle with him."

"I...yeah, I sort of... knew that. That's why we are here," _I said, looking away. _

_Rack's eyes widened._ "Really! Then... Are you all right?"

" Physically, yes. Emotionally, no. I..I saw him killing a squirrel."

"More like torturing it to death," _Bite murmured. _

_Will frowned and asked, _" What did you do to offend the Taker?"

"I didn't DO anything! He went on a rampage and he almost killed me. Luckily, Lynxie was around,if not I'm dead by now." _He scoffed. I decided not to discuss about this any more. Instead, I asked him about the bandage and the time that he was here, keeping him entertained. Everyone seemed okay with not mentioning the Taker. It seems so dark in here. I looked up and saw stars shinning in the all ready dark sky. _

"Oh, guys, we have to go now, it's getting dark," _I commented._

_Rack looked up_. "Yeah, go home and rest earlier. Come visit me when you have the time, okay?"

_I laughed,_ "I will! You rest earlier too,okay?"

"You guys know the way out?" _Lynxie got up, and followed us. _

"No, it's okay," _Will stood up_. " I remember the way. Come on, Puss, Bite. Time to go home."

"Thanks for the patronage! I'll visit when I can." _Bite barked and jumped on Will. _

"Both of you take care. See you real soon."_ I meowed and rubbed my cheek against Lynxie's, doing the same for Rack. I jumped onto Will and we left the clearing. _

_Will carefully trotted out of the gap and we made our way home. _

"So... At least Lynxie was of a little help," _Bite yawned._

"Yeah, but you two still have to stay away from the Taker, do you both understand?" _Will asked._

"Yes, boss!" _I mewed. Bite barked his agreement and we fell silent as Will turned around the corner where our farm was located. _

_Our owner was waiting for us at the door. Will trotted towards her and our owner turned and stared at us. She blinked and pulled Will into his house. Our owner picked both of us off and took the seat off Will. Will said "thanks" and quickly settled on his hay. Bite and I whispered 'good night' and our owner took us into our house. She cleaned us and turned off the lights. I dragged myself into my basket and closed my eyes, immediately falling into a deep sleep._

_**Summer 15th : The day I ran away.**_

_I woke up to find that sunlight streaming through the windows. I looked up, accidentally looking into the sun rays and I flinched. I stood up, stretched and looked around. The air in the room felt stiff and empty. I padded towards the small door and poked my head out. Bite was dozing outside his abandoned house. I squeezed through the door and ruffled my fur._

_I asked him several times why he didn't want to sleep in it. He said it was uncomfortable. I know he was lying. It wasn't because he was cold or uncomfortable. It was because he was afraid. He was afraid of the wild dogs that will come and bite his tail off. I made that story up one night as our owner hadn't been home yet. At that time, the small door hasn't been made, so we were kept outside until the next day. Our owner fell asleep somewhere and forgot about us. Luckily, we had Will to keep us company. _

_I called out to Bite, "_Hey, Bite!"

"Hey!" _I sat beside him and looked around. _"Bite!" _I shook his shoulders with one paw. He was still_ _sleeping away. I frowned._ "MORSIBUS!" _I shook him with both of my front paws. Morsibus was his 'another name'. We adopted different names in other to not confuse the Takers with our real identity. Will's 'another name' was Pretium. Well... mine was..._

_Bite opened one eye and glanced at me. _"What is it...? Can't you see I'm sleeping...?"

"There's something important I have to tell you," _I feigned urgency in my voice. Time to punish him for making me worry._

"What? What happened?" _He sat up._ " Is it about the smelly feet?"

"Yes. I...I think...I think he is stalking us!" _I looked around my shoulders. I turned back to Bite and stared deep into Bite's eyes. I knew what he saw. All he saw was terror, fear and craziness. _

"Where is he?" _Bite immediately scrambled onto his feet and started growling. _

"Over here!" _I ran towards the edge of the farm. Our farm is the highest point in the whole valley. Meaning that we can see every thing that is happening. I peered over the edge and felt my face __drain of emotion. Bite was beside me. I felt him looking at me, then downwards. Then back again. I clenched my teeth. Bite narrowed his eyes._

"Is this some kind of a trick? Like last time? If it is, you're going to pay," _Bite threatened. _

_I ignored Bite and continued staring at the shadows. I spotted movement, just before Bite reached me just now. I stared hard, trying to make out anything that was there in the shadows. Bite swallowed. _

"Ventus Canale!" _Bite howled. I broke away from the shadows. I rolled my eyes to the clouds. _

"What? And can you stop using that? It's pissing me off, Morsibus," _I retorted. _

"Where's Smelly feet?" _He asked impatiently._

_I was about to answer him when out of the corner of my eyes, something emerged from the shadows below. Both of us turned and stared at it. I gulped. Bite stared at the shadow. His eyes were so huge and he was gasping at the air like he was having difficulty breathing. _

_Smelly feet stepped out into the sunlight and raised his head upwards and looked directly into my eyes, at us. Bite was frozen at his current position. I looked on as I saw Smelly feet raise a fluffy item into the air. It was a fox tail._

_I almost cried out loud. It could be Lynxie's! Or the small foxes that often roam around the area's. I couldn't take it any more. Smelly feet laughed again. That irritating sound... I feel like tearing my fur out in exchange to not hear that ever again._

"Bite... Bite!" _He turned and looked at me_. " Bite... I'm going."

_Bite looked alarmed._ "Going? Where?"

"Somewhere far from Smelly feet," _I replied, turning my heels, feeling my muscles tense as I prepared to run._

"Then, what about me?" _Pain and worry was reflected in his brown eyes._ " What about Will?"

"I'm not going very far. I'm going to go around this area, and see if I can find a solution to this problem. Send my regards to Will." _I ran a few steps forward, then turned my head back. _"Bye, Bite. I'll be back."

_Bite looked at me. He nodded._ "You be careful."

_With that final farewell, I sprinted all the way down towards the exit of the farm. As I reached the bottom, I saw Owner placing her paws in the cold stream._

"Owner!"_ I screamed._ " Help! Smelly feet is after me!" _I saw Owner turn her head and she looked at me. I jumped into her long paws and buried myself in her scent. It's the last thing that I have with me after I leave this area. Surprisingly, Owner didn't let go after I jumped into her paws. He held me and then she looked at the direction of where Smelly feet was. I felt fear growing in her. Maybe she knows about this situation? She picked up her stuff and she ran, with me in her paws, out of harm's way._

And... This is how I remember it.

_I only remembered being chased by Smelly feet, the small crevice, the pain. I was bleeding everywhere. My fur was missing in some parts and the remnants of my fur was either matted or coated in mud or moss from the tree barks. The sky was getting darker, the trees surrounding me was getting thicker and I couldn't see a single way out of this undergrowth. I forced myself to open my eyes and take in a deep breath and I continued my staggering progress through the _

_I squinted and shook my head. I closed my eyes and reopened them. My vision was blurring. I was weak from the events. I felt like giving up. I wanted to give up. I flopped onto the forest floor and watched my vision tilt to one side. I took a deep breath slowly and let it all out. Everything I did- everything we've done- was all in vain. I couldn't even find a way out of this treacherous maze. I closed my eyes, willing this to be a dream. **What about me? What about Will? **Bite's voice ringed in my head. _

_**Bite. **__I promised him... I promised him to be all right. I promised him to be back. With strength regained, I pulled myself up and continued my way onwards. Halfway through my journey, I found tracks. I think it's the stuff Takers wear on their hind legs. I sniffed at them. The mud smelt fresh and it smelt like Takers. My eyes widened. Y__**es! A way out! **__I followed the along the tracks, sometimes losing the way, but I regained my path._

_After an eternity, I saw light. Moonlight. The surrounding trees suddenly began to dim. I focused on the front and I started running, almost tripping the thick roots of the trees. I finally managed to get out of the forest. I felt so happy for myself. __**Bite!Will! Rack, Lynxie... I did it! **__I cried out in my heart. But my joy was quickly replaced by dizziness. I sat down on the grass and panted. __**This is**__**bad.**__ I surveyed the area. __**I'm going to faint.**__ It seemed well kept, with flowers growing on the front of the path. It seemed like a miniature farm. I looked further up, and saw fruit trees growing around a Taker's house. __**A Taker's territory**_**? **_I looked around. There wasn't any signs of Takers, even though the tracks just now was wet. _

_I squrimed in my position. I was feeling tired and dirty. I turned around, taking a __look at my injuries. My belly was all right, save for some scratches. My nose stopped bleeding but my tail was still bleeding and it looked bad. I sniffed at my tail and wrinkled my nose. It smelled sour. I took a glance at my precious fur. What I saw really scared the dung out of me. It was getting white in some places. I felt devastated. I looked around for some water and I located some at the front of the house. I got up but I felt a pounding in my head. I shook my head, trying to clear my head, but I tripped fell onto the ground._

_I stayed in this way. I closed my eyes and listened to my surroundings. I felt the world swirl around me. I heard the crickets, the beetles, the sighing of the wind and footsteps. __**Footsteps?**__ I opened my eyes and lifted my head off the ground, feeling the dizziness, I squinted and saw blur figure with white hair coming towards me. It looked like a male Taker. I tried to get on my feet but to no avail. My muscles have gone to sleep. The Taker saw me and rushed towards me, while I felt my world turning black._

_**:) Yeah. Puss' name is Ventus Canale anndddddd... Puss managed to stumble into (GUESS WHO? ) Skye's house! :O Lucky her... Zaaa... This chapter is SO LONG. _ I think I can count this as a double update... right? :) BTW, I rarely see boy writers. :) Girls are more creative. So, give a comment if your a you are guy, gal, gay , les, or homosexual. Everyone is allowed in my world. **_

_**What do you guys do when writing stories? I like chewing on gum( although it's banned in Singapore?) and... listening the Ayaka's songs. She's REAL talented. You rly should go and listen. Start with this song, Ayaka- Why. Watch FF7 CC vid and you can really cry, even though you don't know the characters. You'll feel the PAIN. **_

_**This chapter's YO' MAMA.**_

_**YO' MAMA SO FAT WHEN SHE WALKED DOWN A ROAD, they named it BROADWAY. **_

_**P.s I'll be away for holiday(JAPAN! 8D) so I'll clock out early. Tell me the things you wanna do in Japan. I'll do it for you. XD**_

_**:D See ya till next chapter! **_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Yo, sup' guys? How's workload? **_

_**So, lol. Sorry for the LATE update. Just sorta lazy I guess... BUT, here I am! :D I was busy looking for ideas on the next chapter and I'm debating whether to start a new story for HM or not... Oh, well... I want to start a new story, but... I don't think I can cope with it...*sigh* Anyhoos! Review and tell me what you think? :D **_

_**Replies:**_

_**Invader Cakez- Hahaha, you never fail to make me laugh. :D**_

_**FlamingIceWolfGirl- Yeap! You got that right! :D**_

_**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Harvest Moon in anyway. If you think that I really own HM, them all the Yo' Mamas that people talk about will be directed at your mum. Okay okay. On with the story.**_

I devoted my time looking around the valley for Puss. I searched around Lumina's mansion, the beach, Inner Inn, and I even took a torch to look for Puss in the dried up well beside the bar, just in case she was there. I was so nervous at that time, my torch almost fell in. I remembered hoping to find her there, and hoping NOT to as well. If Puss was inside the well, I will be absolutely elated to see her, but... chances of her surviving a two story drop was unlikely. So, I was relieved to see that Puss wasn't lying at the bottom of the well, in a heap of broken bones and torn flesh. But this also means that the search for Puss was still on too.

Bite's mind seem to be wandering a lot. He seemed to just stare into space and wandering around the farm like it was foreign land. He seemed to depend on Will a lot more. I figured that it was due to the fact Puss was gone. Everybody missed her. I still do spend time with the villagers, though less often. Not everybody knew about Puss' incident except for Skye, Lumina, Celia and gang. I avoided the waterfall as much as possible. Well, because I have to walk past Vesta's farm and see her there, probably cursing me for not thanking her and saying goodbye or giving her an explanation before running off. You never know how crazy Vesta could get.

I marked the places I have searched on the map. I sighed. The remaining areas were the waterfall and Vesta's farm. I circled the two areas with my pen. _ I should give her an explanation got running off with her spare key. _I looked up from the map and I rested my head on the Harvest Sprites' tree, twirling the pen around my fingers. If I hadn't "incidentally" hammered on my teleport stone, I would have started to search the waterfall area.

The soil in the Harvest Sprites' area was really good. I can't ignore the chances of growing better crops. The sun rays filtered from the leaves above. I looked at the ray of sunlight that rested on my palm. I clenched and unclenched my fist, trying to catch the ray of sunlight. I pursed my lips. I'm thinking of returning the key to Vesta, and give something that they would like, to thank them for helping me when I'm fainted. I closed my eyes, debating in my mind if I should return her the key. _Her spare key! _I suddenly remembered and I rummaged my bag. The key wasn't there.

"The key, the key..." I murmured, digging into the depths of my rucksack. I frowned when my fingers emerged with nothing but dirt and other whatnot. I chewed on my lips, and checked the time. 2pm. I swung myself on the saddle and guided Will to the way home to check if the key are mixed with my items.

I flung my door open and rushed into the pile of clothes at the corner of the house. I remembered wearing a blue outfit. _Light blue... I think_... I dug into the chest, casually flinging the shirts over my shoulder if they weren't the same color as the one that I was wearing. I found the shirt at the bottom of the chest. I dug it up and held it in front of me. Yup. It's this one, all right. I slipped my hands into the front pocket, but the key wasn't there. I searched the side pockets, and found the key at the left one. _Thank god_. I took the key and, careful not to trample over the clean clothes that are strewn over the floor, made my way to the door. I pushed the wooden door and mounted Will, making my way towards Vesta's farm.

I was galloping towards Vesta's farm when my confidence crumbled. What was I THINKING? Vesta can be very motherly but she also can be a murderer when she wants to. I was thinking of backing out. To speak the truth, afraid of Vesta's wrath...Well, probably because she's THAT crazy when it comes to... not repaying her when she helped you. _No no no no... _I'm here for Puss' sake. And for Puss' sake, I shall grit my teeth and get it over and done with.

"Well... We _are_ here already, huh?" I smoothed Will's mane. Will replied with a nod of his head.

I got off Will, took his reign and lead him towards Vesta's farm. I took in a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Hello?" I knocked again. There wasn't any answer. " Vesta? Vesta, are you in there?"

I heard the opening of her house door. I turned my head to see Celia emerging wearing a pink apron and there was flour all over the place; on her hair, on the apron, on the doorknob too. She did seemed surprised to see me.

"Jill?" She squinted against the harsh sunlight. "Come on in!"

I tied Will to one of the posts surrounding the house and ruffled his thick mane. "I'll be back soon, buddy."

Celia held the door for me. I got in and she closed the door behind her. I was shocked to see the usually cleaned house in a huge mess; with flour caking on every single item in the house like dust, the tap water running and the boiling pots with its contents overflowing and the item in the oven starting to expand like it's threatening to blow up any second. The kitchen looked like a crime scene. I looked at Celia. She looked a little embarrassed but otherwise, okay.

"Aren't you... going to do something about that?" I asked her, pointing at the mess. The item in the oven made a "pop" sound. I jumped at the sound. I'm starting to think that Vesta is ill treating Celia by making her clean up after them.

"Hm? No! That's dinner!" She laughed, rushing past me and towards the kitchen counter. She chopped a few carrots and dumped it into the pot. The pot bubbled even more as I watch the carrots sink into the abyss.

_Dinner? _I can't believe it. Celia is actually even more dangerous than Vesta. _Sorry, Vesta, for accusing you. _

"You can stay for dinner," Celia kindly offered. She took a spoon and tasted the contents in the pot.

"I-It's okay," I raised my eyebrows as I saw Celia put the spoon into her mouth. " I'm here for Vesta, is she home?"

"Oh, you're here at the wrong timing," she placed the spoon into the sink and turned off the running tap. " It's a Monday, remember? She doesn't do work on Mondays. She's off with Marlin shopping at either Lution Vale* or at Mineral Town."

"Oh, I completely forgot."

"So," Celia chirped. "I'm doing the dinner for every Monday and you're here to help me!"

I widened my eyes. _Since when?_

It turned out that Celia's cooking isn't as bad as it looks. No wonder Celia's the champion when it comes to the cooking contests. It's just that Vesta doesn't know what happens to her house when Celia's cooking. Celia made me promise her to keep to myself about this. Her ways of cooking, I mean.

The dishes of today were salad for the starting dish, porridge and cream puffs for dessert.

"Didn't Vesta say that she was slimming down?" I asked Celia. Celia was laying the dishes on the table while I was washing the pans.

"Yes, she did," Celia replied, arranging the utensils. " This is very simple compared to what I used to do last time."

"What did she eat when she wasn't on a diet?" I frowned. I couldn't even whip up this feast. Let alone eat it.

"I got this recipes from the Mineral Town chefs, from Ruby and Nami," Celia was finished with arranging the utensils. She walked to the library and she fished a book out. The cover page looked torn and tattered. " Nami used to travel and she bought a recipe book for Ruby but Ruby never got to use it. The ingredients can't be found here, and if the ingredients are shipped, it would be very costly. So Vesta took it from her and gave it to me in case if I can find the ingredients and cook it for her."

"I collected some old town recipes from cafe houses and clipped them here," Celia showed me the pages. "The cafe houses were demolished to make way for new shopping malls, but I managed to visit them before they were pulled down. But Vesta wants to throw this book away. She can't stop herself from looking at the faded pictures and imagining how this food will taste like. She will imagine,get hungry and in the end, eat more." Celia laughed and looked at me.

"Do you want this book, Jill?" Celia asked me. " This book is informative, but it isn't useful to us. Maybe... you can absorb the knowledge in here? I'm giving this book to you, so here!"

She shoved the book to me and I received it from her. It weights lighter than it looks. I grazed the cover page and hugged the book to my chest. "Thank you, Celia."

"No problemo!" She laid her hand on my shoulder and smiled.

"Oh, I almost forgot," I placed the book on the table and fished the key from my pocket. Celia looked at me in puzzlement. "Your spare key. I was meaning to return it to you, but I was afraid of Vesta's wrath, so I came looking for her today."

I handed it over to Celia. " Return it for me, okay?"

Celia nodded. I looked at the sky outside, and glanced at the wall clock. Oh, dear, it's already 5.

"Well, I'd better get going before Vesta comes back," I said, slinging my backpack over my shoulders. I took the recipe book and I waved a goodbye at Celia. "Nice cooking with you, kitchen disaster!"

Celia laughed and waved back. "Indeed, wide-eyes-and-jumping-eyebrows!"

I laughed and shut the door. I walked over to Will and untied the knot, and placed the book in the side pocket, and hurried off to the waterfall.

I reached the waterfall and began the search for Puss. I called out her name, and searched for any black fur, anything that reassembles Puss. No luck. Even Will joined in my search. Will searched at the fronds, trees and the bushes while I looked over in the grass, near the mines. My search continued to stretch until 9. By then, Will and I were totally exhausted. But Will continued to look in higher grounds, as his neck was longer. I sat on the grass, sighing. Was Puss really lost to us forever? When I was to call off our search, Will neighed. His nostrils flared and he beckoned me with his head to come over.

Elated, I bounced over to Will and looked at what he found. Will moved over to reveal the black tufts of fur on the crevice. There were a line of blood splattered on the ground, and there were fur attached to it. I bent down to feel the soft fur. I recognized that it was similar to Puss'. I grasped the fur to my chest and felt the first wave of tears at the corner of my eyes. _Puss... _

"Puss!" I wailed. I wept and thought of Puss and wept even harder. I flung myself onto Will and cried into his mane.

Just then, I heard a crunch on the opposite bank. I felt Will's mane bristle. I looked up to where I heard the sound and a solid figure stood there. Murrey. I felt anger boiling in my stomach. So much anger I felt like shooting fire from my eyes and kill Murrey on the spot. I loathed him for what he did to me. I loathed him for what he did to Puss.

His stare bore into me and I forced myself to hold his gaze. He held his head high and laughed. Slowly, a giggle, then roaring. His gaze never left mine, but his laughter swelled. He suddenly stopped, and stared intensely. Goosebumps rose all over my skin, but I wasn't afraid. I was ready to fight for what I love. Then it suddenly dawned on me, that this was only the beginning of more terrors to come.

_**Woo... So... how did you guys like that? Um... I hope I didn't end it too abruptly. :OO Reviews are always appreciated! **_

_***Lution Vale: Yes, yes, I know, I know. I created this "town" so I apologize if you're confused halfway reading the story. I figured that they can't keep going to Mineral Town. It'll be too boring for them, so I created a new one. **_

_**So it's like, **_

_** / Lution Vale**_

_** /**_

_**Forget-Me-NotValley_Skye's house _/**_

_** \**_

_** \**_

_** \Mineral Town**_

_**Sth like that. **_

_**This chapter's YO MAMA**_

_**Yo mama is so bald, when she braids her hair, they look like stitches. **_


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